Every night at the end of the News the weatherman comes on and tells us the weather.
The obvious things that matter to Average Joe is the minimum and maximum temperatures as well as the general weather pattern (sunny, windy, rainy, etc) but they always go on about “low pressure systems”.
I’ve got a flight simulator and understand that the altimeter needs to be calibrated to the correct pressure but don’t really understand what that means outside of making sure the altimeter displays the correct altitude, and also I’ve got no idea why anyone who isn’t a pilot cares about the air pressure, or why it’s on the News.
In: Planetary Science
Air tends to flow from areas of high pressure into low pressure, seeking to equalize itself. As air flows out of high pressure areas other air will fall to take its place, and this usually happens fairly slowly and steadily. High pressure systems then tend to have fairly clear, stable weather patterns.
Low pressure areas have air flowing into them, displacing air which then rises, cools, and creates clouds and precipitation. A low pressure system then will tend to have clouds, rain, and storms.
When you look at a weather map a region of low pressure is a good indication of where the rain and storms are likely to occur. That is why the weather man is going to be rattling on about “low pressure systems” because it is the regions in which bad weather is likely to happen.
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